Members of the legends side who play their English counterparts at the Stoop
on Thursday night believe Ewen McKenzie is on the right track

The bonhomie as the Australian Legends squad assembled in London on Tuesday to prepare for the match against their England counterparts at The Stoop on Thursday night failed to mask concern over the state of the current Wallaby side.

It has been a tough year for rugby union in Australia. The British and Irish Lions series was lost in humiliating fashion, with the manner of the record third Test defeat in Sydney costing head coach Robbie Deans his job amid a spiralling number of off-field controversies.

“The way that third Test went was heartbreaking,” Australia prop Ben Alexander said. “We will never get that chance again and it is left for us to wonder ‘what if'?.

"There was such big hype around that third game. It definitely was the most disappointing moment in my career.”

Ewen McKenzie, the former World Cup-winning Wallaby prop, has since attempted to overhaul the squad and instil a renewed sense of discipline in a manner not dissimilar to Stuart Lancaster when he picked up the pieces from the wreckage of England’s 2011 World Cup campaign in New Zealand.

McKenzie’s problem is that the Rugby Championship is no place for soft landings. Three defeats by the All Blacks and two by South Africa appear to have stalled any sense of a quick fix in the wake of Deans’ departure. Argentina were at least beaten – narrowly – home and away while green shoots of recovery appeared to be found in their final 41-33 defeat by the All Blacks in Dunedin.

However, the Grand Slam tour of Europe, starting with England at Twickenham on Saturday, is seen by many of the former Wallaby greats as a defining period if Australia are to emerge from their alarming slump and forge a squad capable of mounting a serious challenge at the 2015 World Cup.

Richard Harry, the great Australia loose head who won the World Cup in 1999, believes that McKenzie was right to take a tough line on discipline, including the dismissal of James O’Connor after his latest misdemeanour, turning up drunk at Perth Airport earlier this month.

“For most people in Australia it is about getting some consistency in the tight five and cultural issues, hence James O’Connor being kicked to the kerb, which was the best thing,” Harry said. “I think 99.9 per cent of rugby players and supporters – like me – would say it is fantastic because it was having such a ripple effect from having someone like that in the side.

“We all know when a culture is fractured. The problem with James is that I just think he was a very negative impact on the team. He is an incredibly talented player but there were just too many indiscretions that have a ripple effect. As Australians watching the Wallabies, we all knew that the culture was absent and we want to see that instilled because that is the thing that is going to take us the extra millimetres.”

Harry, who will be playing for the Australia Legends on Thursday night in the game to launch the Rugby Football Union’s weekend of events celebrating the 10-year anniversary of England’s World Cup victory, says McKenzie’s focus must now be on getting his combinations right.

“The big thing is to settle on our personnel first, then work on the game plan and a bit of X-factor after that. To win a World Cup, the best ready reckoning you can look at is that there has got to be at least five guys in the side who would be world-class, in stone, no questions asked.

“Do the Wallabies have that? No way. I doubt if we have one. Maybe Will Genia and that’s it. If you can get five, then you are on your way.”

Chris Whitaker, the former Leinster and Waratahs scrum-half who won 31 caps for Australia between 1998 and 2005, is another who will line up against the England Legends.

The English side will include Jason Leonard, Martin Corry, Lewis Moody, Jason Robinson, Josh Lewsey, Mike Tindall, Phil Vickery, Ben Kay, Andy Gomarsall and Austin Healey and proceeds from the match will be donated to Restart, the rugby charity, and the Injured Players Foundation.

Whitaker agrees with Harry that this tour will be a critical time for McKenzie to put his stamp on the squad. “There has a been a change to their style of play and it takes a bit of time to get used to it,” Whitaker said. “I think the last two games have shown they are on the right track and going away on tour always helps a team. You get away, stay together and socialise with each other.

“I used to love to come to the UK and Europe on tour because you not only enjoyed it but felt you had built on something. It is very hard to do it in Australia when you are in one city, then another city and then another country. The encouraging thing is that the Australia Super 15 sides generally had a good season and there appears to be a strength in depth again, which is always key to a good Wallaby side.”

Stirling Mortlock, the former Australia captain who played in the 2003 final against England and the quarter-final defeat at the 2007 World Cup, believes McKenzie is the right man to rebuild the side but wants players to use the tour to cement their positions for the World Cup.

“Every team that Ewen has coached, he has proven not only to be successful but actually utilise the strengths of each team,” Mortlock said. “He does not have one template and make the players play to it, but he make the best use of the resources and formulates a game plan and his group’s strengths and weaknesses.

“There is still going to be some tinkering and experimenting with combinations, which needs to happen. But I would also like to see some of these combinations start to pay off as well and a few of the guys put their hands up.

“I would love to see a nice combination with Quade Cooper at 12. Quade had arguably his best game against New Zealand. He is a free-spirited attacking style of player and you need to get the balance right with a 12 who can give him a bit of grounding. This tour will be great because there are five matches so plenty of opportunity for several players to lock down their positions.”